A researcher at IPAM (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia), Carlos Durigan has a geography degree from Unesp (Universidade Estadual Paulista) and a master’s degree in Ecology from INPA (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia). He has been working on socio-environmental projects in the Amazon biome for over 30 years.
In an interview with the newsletter Um Grau e Meio, Durigan talks about the challenges of protecting migratory species. Find out more about the topic in his column in JOTA.
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What characterizes a migratory species?
A species is considered migratory when it makes periodic, predictable and regular movements between different areas throughout its life cycle, usually associated with feeding, reproduction or responding to environmental variations. Under the Convention on Migratory Species, migratory species are those whose populations cross one or more national borders, which makes their conservation dependent on international cooperation.
What are the main species in Brazil?
Brazil is home to a great diversity of migratory species, especially fish, birds and aquatic mammals. Some of the best examples, including the degree of threat, include the dourada (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), a migratory catfish that travels great distances along the Amazon basin.
Among the birds, we highlight the northern harrier (Numenius hudsonicus), included in Annex 1 of the CMS at COP15, and the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) – Annex 2 since 1979, which connect hemispheres.
Among the species of greatest global concern included in Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species, the most notable are the Christian albatross (Diomedea dabbenena), highly threatened by incidental capture, and the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which uses the Brazilian coast on its migratory routes, as well as the blue shark (Prionace glauca), highly threatened by predatory fishing off the Brazilian coast.
Among marine mammals, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrates to the Brazilian coast to breed and has been included in Annex 1 since 1979.
The only species of Brazilian land mammal that is included in Annexes 1 and 2 is the jaguar (Panthera onca), because its populations are threatened in various regions throughout the American continent and it depends on connectivity between habitats to survive. In addition, their movements between countries require international cooperation to ensure ecological corridors and the conservation of the species.
How are these animals threatened?
The main threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, overfishing, illegal hunting and different forms of contamination (pesticides, sewage, plastic). These impacts are aggravated by climate change, which alters hydrological regimes, intensifies droughts and fires and especially affects wetlands, rivers and coastal zones – critical environments for most of the migratory species that occur in Brazil.
How can we overcome the challenges of protecting them?
The conservation of migratory species requires coordinated actions on an international scale, as promoted by the CMS COP15. In Brazil, it is essential to strengthen conservation units and indigenous lands, increase connectivity between landscapes and advance in the protection of areas outside these territories, which includes the allocation of public lands for purposes that include their protection. The central role of indigenous peoples and traditional communities is also highlighted, as well as the need to reduce pressures such as deforestation, pollution and emissions that intensify the climate crisis.